Many people, particularly those who live in colder regions of the world, really look forward to the freedom and joy often associated with the summer season.

Ayurveda is the sister science of Yoga. In addition to providing customized dietary and lifestyle solutions and healing limiting thinking patterns and belief systems, Ayurveda also equips humanity with an outstanding general protocol for seasonal health, called Ritucharya. There is a reason why you experience certain ailments during certain times, such as colds and coughs during the winter, allergies in the springtime, etc.

The earth rotates around the sun, and at different points along that rotation period, there are, accordingly, diverse protocols for protecting your health throughout the year. By following Ayurveda’s detailed Ritucharya guidance, followers of Ayurveda’s amazing, eternal wisdom can prevent all kinds of seasonal ailments.

Ayurveda’s Ritucharya guidelines involve tweaking one’s diet and lifestyle throughout the year, and are designed for those who are already relatively healthy. Those who are suffering from deep imbalances and diseases should still, however, keep seasonal guidance in mind, which an Ayurveda practitioner can tweak according to the particular needs of the diseased one.

Following Ritucharya ensures that we can take advantage of seasons that are better for building health, and to more adequately protect ourselves during seasons when our health is more naturally considered to be at risk for certain natural imbalances.

The winter season, according to Ayurveda, is the best time of the entire year! We have much greater freedom in terms of what we can eat and the kinds of activities we can partake in with greater success at this time of the year.

For those who are relatively healthy already, Ayurveda’s seasonal recommendations for the winter can be best summarized as: eat, drink, and be merry!